


Blinded By Love

by blxckh0les42



Series: Whisper, Slowly: A series of KOTLC Oneshots [1]
Category: Keeper of the Lost Cities Series - Shannon Messenger
Genre: (minor cursing), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - High School, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Blind Character, Everyone is a gay disaster, F/F, First Kiss, Fluff, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I promise he is a much better character in real canon, Kissing, LGBTQ Themes, Love Confessions, My First AO3 Post, Useless Lesbians, YES I KNOW THERE IS NO DEX, also if you squint there's a bit of kam, also yes there is some fitz gaslighting, and I am sorry, anyway let's work those feelings out shall we?, but specifically Sophie, cursing, don't worry the angst is less (I hope), no beta we die like men, so if there are any inaccuracies feel free to yell at me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-11 23:15:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28500597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blxckh0les42/pseuds/blxckh0les42
Summary: "You know what I think?"Sophie's red hot ears seemed to perk up with naive hope as she looked Keefe in the eyes.".....You're almost as much as a disaster gay as I am."..................................Or, where Linh and Sophie are both gay disasters, and through a collision of events they're forced to where they are currently - one blind and hopelessly heavy over heels, the other a disaster at hiding feelings who's also trying to navigate society and it's stigma.Though the awkward place where they are?It may not have been as bad as it originally seemed.
Relationships: Sophie Foster/Linh Song
Series: Whisper, Slowly: A series of KOTLC Oneshots [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2087739
Kudos: 8





	Blinded By Love

**Author's Note:**

> uhh so this is my first ao3 work, please be nice-
> 
> Side note they're both very useless lesbians and this may involved scenes of internalised homophobia, and this fic is obviously very touch heavy, with descriptions of well - touching.
> 
> If you are triggered by any of the above, I would suggest being a bit careful while reading :)))

Sophie Foster is okay.

She's always okay, always fine, always just perfectly hanging in the balance - but that's not enough. Okay has never been enough, and no one ever seems to be satisfied with 'okay'.

So she builds herself her own scene, disappearing into the world which she created, ignoring the fact that she didn't know exactly why or how they wanted her to act, to be, to dream~

Maybe deep down, she knows that this could never last.

// _Why couldn't you~_

_Fitz- I'm not even-_ //

Sophie couldn't vanish his voice out of her head. He couldn't make her heartbeat slow down while rushing with her bicycle. Because no matter how much she tried, she knew, she knew as clear as the moon above, that she was unnatural.

// _I'm gay, goddammit! I don't like boys-_

_What? That's not true, you're lying to yourself_ //

The colours of the street's lamps shone on the road – the stars on the sky, when Sophie raised her head up to catch their glow, felt inevitable. The night was clear.

_//Just shut up!_

_You- you freak!//_

She bit down on her bottom lip as she desperately tried to stop the frenzied feeling in her chest as she just ran, the colours becoming blurs and the tears never stopping and everything was just a blur, just colours and everything just became grey-

_// **YOU'RE NOTHING BUT-**_

_she was nothing but-_

_just a-//_

It was hard to tell where the night sky ends and city began, the bright lights blending in with the few stars visible and suddenly it was all just a bright, blinding light and there's a dull thud, and there's a pain and red and so much red and there's only one thing flashing through her mind-

_Finally, i hope it doesn't hurt too badly._

\-----

Sophie woke up with a sudden jolt in cold sweat – panting and taking heavy breaths as if she was breathing for the first time. Her eyes were wide, tears stinging so much she had to close them for a couple of minutes. She tried to slow down her heartbeat, tried to quiet down her panting.

She blinked her eyes and tried to focus on the blobs floating around. Rubbing her eyes, she blinked again, the colours never coming any closer but the voices around her growing louder and louder-

The car.

The terror in her swelled, her hands itching at the edges of something, nothing, anything as she blinked, all too confused at the dark blurs and the loud voices-

no-

_there_

_was_

_no_

_way-_

Sophie blinked rapidly, tears falling as she sobbed, the full implications of what exactly was happening to her hitting her like the bright light once had-

But the sun didn't smile, for it had retreated away for good.

\-----

"It was Traumatic Optic Neuropathy. An uh- total loss of vision."

The deafening silence that surrounded her in the so called club room of the society she had been asked to join (not that Keefe had given her much choice) seemed to suffocate her as she squirmed, pulling on the zipper of her jacket as she memorised the curves and feeling of the cloth, a blush rising on her cheeks because 1 year wasn't enough and she'd probably be-

"That sounds really rough. How is it like?"

A sweet, musical voice trilled in from a faint corner of the room, conjuring up a bunch of images that Sophie wasn't ready to confront yet as she chided herself internally to ignore the rushing of butterflies in her stomach.

**"It's been....."**

Sophie thought over to the sudden change of schools, the raw feeling of her skin covered with flowering bruises from bumping into so many corners before resigning herself to a cane, the stares and shouts as day after day she tried to rub her eyes, splotched and dry from constant irritation, hoping that this time, her vision would rapidly clear.

But then again, with the new changes, there came the feeling of happiness and kindness of another stranger helping her. The shock of Keefe changing into maniacal delight as he realised the endless possibilities. The flutter of butterflies as she spoke to this person with a beautiful voice, even though she knew how unattainable her dream was, considering the fact she was in her last year of high school, and almost no one knew that she herself was gay.

**"...okay."**

\-----

Linh Song was a girl of rivers and floods.

To her friends, Linh is nothing but the epitome of kindness, of pure innocence, the sun and sky and the docile clouds floating in the pale blue of the heterochromatic irises she had.

But ask anyone else, she was scary.

She shouldn't be though, because Linh isn't the type of girl who looks scary in any way, shape or form- she's short, made up of angles and lines, but she's one of those people who somehow make angles seem soft and lines seem round - the slow movement of water as it moulded, twisted and turned.

When she laughs, she clamps a sweater clad hand over her rosy lips, as though it's a secret, muffling her mirth in long, clever fingers. The less she speaks, the less they have to hold against her- the less of a disappointment she builds up to be.

Though society never touches her, there are scars on her body, golden lines that fractal and spread out like beautiful flowers that will never heal. When she goes up to speak to the blind girl - Sophie - and she flings an arm around Linh for the first time, attempting to shake her hand but missing widely - she flinched, and she doesn't know why because it feels good.

"I'm sorry-

-nonono it's my fault"

Her voice is soothing, warm and full of the life she represents and the fullness of it all - and iher eyes are a trusting brown, reminiscent of the saplings she would flock around, a moment's respite as they ran far away-

"Do you.....want to meet up some time? Only if you're-"

Linh nodded her head a little too vigorously as colour rushed to her cheeks, the pale red standing out as her twin brother gave her a weird look from the other side of the room (where he was having his own chat with a very blushy Keefe).

Linh knew that Sophie was almost certainly straight. Yet, she still let herself be drawn towards her, her feelings rising and falling as she fell hard and fast, flocking to her like a moth to a flame.

like a siren to its claim.

\-----

"You're in lo-ove! Loooooooooooove~"

Keefe narrowly ducked the pillow that was thrown with surprising accuracy at the table he was leaning on, before sidling up to an extremely mortified Sophie who purposely shrunk under her bedcovers, muttering all the way.

"Not even bothering to deny it? Must be really~"

"I'm not in love with her!"

Keefe smirked as he poked her in the side, causing her to fall on her side with a small oomph.

"Just because I kinda like the pitch of her voice whenever she speaks to me and the supple feel of her skin whenever she helps me around school whenever you aren't around to guide me and the way she stands up and gets so scary" _Sophie shush you're being way too obvious here and you're going to embarrass yourself-_ "but that scariness is pretty hot? And even when she sometimes falls over and she's clumsy it's just so sweet and-"

".....I might like her." Sophie finished lamely.

Keefe just poked her in the side before taking a seat on the chair, almost knocking over Sophie's cane.

"You know what I think?"

Sophie's red hot ears seemed to perk up with naive hope as she looked Keefe in the eyes.

".....You're almost as much as a disaster gay as I am."

Sophie's only response was a mighty groan as she buried herself into her covers further.

\-----

"You'll be coming to my party, right?"

Sophie only nodded absentmindedly in response as she ran her hands over the special braille embossed cards that Linh had gotten made.

"I mean, I know you may not have too much fun considering you can't see, but I did try to convince Tiergan to make some blind-people friendly changes - and I just realised how insensitive that sounded I am so sorry-"

Sophie just leaned her hand on Linh's chest - not that she had meant to even though it certainly quickened her heartbeat-

"Tiergan? What happened to Mr. Song?"

Linh's voice seemed to pitch an octave lower as she flinched slightly.

"I..I mean me and my brother....we ran away from them at a much younger age....they would abuse both me and my brother, and while I'm sure they meant well....."

Sophie's voice seemed to grow a lot softer as she hugged Linh, leaning heavily on her in the process.

"I'm sorry, I had no clue..."

Linh seemed hyper aware of every breath she took as she carefully steadied the butteries threatening to overwhelm her, hesitatingly patting Sophie on the back as she tried (unsuccessfully) to soothe herself, as she grew suddenly very very very conscious of how close they were to one another. 

"I mean, it turned out fine, right? And Tiergan's a much nicer foster parent that I could have asked for! That reminds me - are you coming to the party?"

Sophie nervously chewed on her lip, before a blush blossomed over her face.

"...okay."

Linh gleefully hugged her in ecstasy, noticing the way her hands got restless as she carefully helped guide her out of the school block.

"Why are you smiling so much?"

Sophie's blush grew ten times stronger as she seemed to recollect the presence of Linh, interrupting her from her fantasy.

"It's just that....this is the first party that I've been invited to since my accident."

Linh just clenched her elbow tighter, never feeling more glad that Sophie couldn't see the mess of blushes and small smiles she had left her in.

\-----

"Are you sure I look fine? I mean-"

Keefe brushed her hand away from the front of her face as she tried to dab gently at the already slightly smudged makeup on her face.

"Relax, you look fine. She's anyway so in love with you, it's funny-"

Sophie jabbed him sharply with the cane, causing him to yelp with pain as she stood demurely infront of the now open door.

"....Keefe? And who are you-"

Sophie straightened almost invisibly as she attempted to get into a half curtsy without knocking her cane over.

"Um. Good Evening Sir- or Madam- or um. But uh- Linh invited me over for the party and-"

A deep laugh emanated from the person who had just spoke, before he gently grasped her hand and led her into the house, leaving the door open for a red-faced Keefe who walked in casually, taking of his shoes near the placemat.

"You must be Sophie Foster, am I right? I'm Tiergan."

"Oh! Yes I am Sophie and-"

A small hand gripped her other elbow as she felt herself being gently dragged away by someone else.

"Stop bothering her Dad! She's probably bored enough as it is-"

Sophie gently extracted herself from Linh as she found herself in a small corner, cheeks flushed as she found her cane almost touching Linh's knee.

"I'm sorry-"

Linh giggled as she smiled gently, brushing a finger over Sophie's elbow as she pulled them through the crowds of people. Sophie smiled, the increased brightness helping her as she dragged her hands around the rough walls, laughing as she heard Linh's distant voice as she mingled with another crowd, but her momentary thoughts coming to a standstill as she heard a voice, a hard one that she hadn't heard in over an year.

"Sophie?"

"....Fitz?"

\-----

"What are you-"

"I'm part of Tam's theatre crew.....I was your costar a few years back, remember?"

"Right, but that was a year or so-"

"You're blind now?"

Sophie felt her hands shake as she moved backwards, looking to and fro for a spare opening as she tried to escape the now suffocating room.

"Do you know how victimised I felt as I left you alone that day, only because you couldn't get some silly notion out of your head?"

Fitz took a step closer, his furious whispers slowly growing to a shout.

"Do you know how much I suffered, because of your fantasies? Do you know how much I was questioned?"

Sophie's hands clenched the table, her cane clattering as she felt tears coming to her eyes, and all of a sudden she was sobbing as he grinned and leant closer to her, his breath hot as he spit out his next few words-

"I kept pondering why you left, as I sat heartbroken on my bed, crying my eyes out because of you. But I won't make that mistake again, falling for a lesbian."

Rough hands suddenly pulled them both apart as Sophie pressed herself to the wall, eyes unseeing as she wiped the rough cheeks, only raising her head as she heard a scream.

**"How dare you."**

Linh walked closer, her voice trembling as she continued.

"How dare you come into this house and out someone and be so blatantly homophobic? How dare you insult her, when the only piece of filth is you, Fitzroy Avery Vacker? How dare you-"

She heard a sickening crack and a whimper as Linh slapped Fitz.

"Get out. Get out before I can do worse to you."

And even though Sophie knew she was meant to be elated, the only thing she could feel was a numbness in her chest as she slowly sank to the floor, the muffled sounds around her non existent as she cried into the set of arms that she knew so well.

\-----

Linh Song knew she should have been happy.

But all she could feel was a paralysing fear as she slowly hugged Sophie, her fierce glare causing uncomfortable looks to pass amongst the rest of the crowd who was already filing out.

_((What if he knew? Oh god, what if everyone else knew-))_

"Thank you."

Linh felt her cheeks redden as she realised how close they two were, both of them the only ones in a now silent room, huddled together on a threadbare rug, Sophie's face buried in her chest as she slowly drew circles on her back, the haphazard motions comforting her.

"It's nothing really-"

Linh looked at Sophie's heated up cheeks as she slowly extracted herself, now seemingly unsure of what to say as she gazed out of the open window.

"Can I....touch you?"

Linh's face grew an even darker shad of red, mirroring the cloudy eyed girl as they both seemed to realise the connotations hidden behind that sentence.

"I mean your face! It's just that- it's well- been three months since I've met you, and....I just want to see who you really are. To the best of my capability that is, considering I can't see-"

"Alright."

Linh covered her face with her sweater covered fingers, the distant sounds of the party winding down slowly playing as they both seemed to process the words she just said, though Linh sat up with a jolt, realising the sudden semantics of what exactly she had agreed to.

"Do you need me to move? Or wait-"

Linh pulled Sophie's hand and slowly guided her towards her bed, letting Sophie seat herself comfortably as she fetched her cane and sat cross legged infront of her.

"I'm here."

Hesitantly, Sophie extended her hands, stretching them forward, searching for her. Usually, Linh would have taken them and led her to where the blond wanted, but she learned that it was actually the worst thing to do. In moments like these, letting Sophie find what she was searching for was best for her and was probably what she wanted her to do.

Except that her hands landed right on her chest.

And Sophie realised that a few seconds late, her cheeks growing even warmer as she quickly raised her hands in mock surrender.

"Sorry- You're just taller than I expected even while sitting-"

Linh laughed, a small one in an attempt to dissipate the obvious tension between them as she gently guided her hands upwards, letting her palms touch her shoulders as she suddenly tensed, skin raw from old scars that marked the pale skin.

Sophie noticed of course, wincing.

"Sorry." She whispered, quickly moving her hands to her jaws.

This time Linh didn't answer, looking at the blonde. They were only a few centimeters away, and she had to bend her head a little as Sophie tilted hers so she can move easily. They were remarkably close, too close for her sake, especially knowing how much Sophie's touch was unraveling her.

She could see her eyes, looking down as usual. She was used to see Sophie's pupils not moving around, just staying fixed on an invisible point. But she liked that too. She's beautiful, no matter what she did.

Her hands kept touching her jaw, cupping them gently in her palm. They are soft and warm, and the contact sent shivers down her spine. Her fingers are light, browsing her skin with so much care, as if not to hurt her.

_((This is a bad idea.))_

Thumbs brushed against her cheeks slowly, feeling the texture, searching how large they are, how soft. She gently cupped her cheeks, posing here a few seconds, immobile. Then, without warning, she squished them, smiling widely.

"Now, you're just making fun of me." Linh pouted, but she didn't move anyway, lips swollen and cheeks squeezed.

Sophie laughed happily, letting go of her strong hold on her cheeks, but kept her hand on them. "Sorry, sorry. It was just too tempting."

Linh couldn't even be mad at her, not when her laugh had made her heart miss a beat, not when her laugh had illuminated the room.

"You can be such a child when you want to."

Sophie didn't answer and Linh bit her lips, closing her eyes as the hands moved farther, thumbs searching for her eyes, her nose.

\-----

She felt Sophie's index drawing her nose, as her thumbs, still on her eyes, are more cautious, more slow. And when she finally spoke, Linh could feel her breath brushing her skin, turning her already pink cheeks crimson as she listened to the almost nonexistent murmur, as though it was afraid of breaking the moment.

"What colour are your eyes?"

"They're blue." She paused. "Nothing out of the ordinary compared to yours."

Sophie scrunched her nose, her hands halting as she looked at Linh in an almost unaaproving way.

"Be more descriptive."

"Hmm, they're like spirals of earthy brown colliding with the honey droplets of the sunlight. Ones you can wholeheartedly trust. Though they're a bit blurry now - but that just makes them even more stark and stunning." She breathed out, her hands shivering a bit as her heartbeat quickened.

She receives a light tap on her temple as Sophie scowls. "I wasn't asking about mine idiot."

"Fine, Fine! What should I say? They're blue, not the sea green kind. They kind of resemble lagoons - at least to Tam, that is. They're kind of deep, like the depths of a sea?"

Sophie smiled, and Linh found herself smiling too, both of them quiet in the comfortable silence that elapsed, which was interrupted when Sophie spoke.

"You look ethereal."

Linh croaked out a strangled noise, wanting nothing else then to bury herself in her hands as Sophie furrowed her brow, not realising her mistake.

"Should we-"

"No,"Linh interrupts, opening her eyes once she managed to calm her racing heartbeat. "No, it's okay, I'm fine."

Sophie nods, going up to her hair. She awkwardly pats her, then trails her hands till she touches the strands, running her hands through them as she smiled, touching the hardened tips before letting her hands skim over her face's features again.

Linh wanted to add something, turn the heel around and swipe Sophie off her feet too, but as her fingers trailed down her cheeks to settle on her lips, gently caressing them, the touch lighter, softer, gentler, barely touching her, teasing, lingering, almost unbearable and Linh found herself speechless.

Sophie bit her lips.

"Linh, breathe."

She didn't know how much she could blush but her body decided to take the bet anyway, cheeks heating again. She countered, defensive.

"I am breathing."

Which was stupid, because they both knew that Linh had been holding her breath.

Sophie rolled her eyes.

"I'm blind, not dumb."

She didn't answer, too busy focusing on the rhythm of her heart, on her breathing and on how much closer they were compared to the position they started into.

Sophie's fingers were now touching her lips, and Linh could clearly feel her breath on her skin. Her heart didn't know if it wanted to stop beating or beat faster, provoking a sweet disaster in her mind.

Their faces only inches apart, Linh suddenly felt hot, her breath shaky as she looked at Sophie. For her part, she didn't react, still carressing her lips.

Then slowly, Sophie edged herself closer, and closer until their faces aligned. Linh could definitely feel the breath of the blonde on her skin, and she can't help but stare at her lips. In a strangled sigh, she murmured.

"Sophie?"

She stopped, inches away from her lips, where her fingers still settled.

"Can I?"

Sophie nods, face hesitant and red, and Linh kisses her, and it's everything she's dreamed of and more. It was slow and soft, comforting in ways that words would never be. Her hand rested below her ear, her thumb caressing her cheek as their breaths mingled. She ran her fingers down her spine, pulling him closer until there was no space left between them and she could feel the beating of his heart against her chest.

Ling thought that after all the hours she'd spent with Sophie - watching her laugh, cry and frown - she would know all there was to know about her lips. But she hadn't imagined how perfect they would feel pressed up against her own.

\-----

Linh leant towards Sophie, their foreheads touching and hands clasped together as she placed a light forehead kiss on her, both utterly intoxicated, finally together.

"Wait....so you like me, right?"

Linh laughed, shaking her head against Sophie's, sealing their lips again in a quick and passionate embrace.

"Shut up."

**Author's Note:**

> *shakes begging bowl*
> 
> kudös n lieks for the yearning sapphics pls


End file.
